Diabetes affects over 537 million people worldwide; by 2045, this is estimated to increase to 783 million. [1] With the growing prevalence of diabetes,
it's even more important to utilise all options to support people with diabetes (PwDs) in managing their daily life with diabetes.
Where do PwDs most often access healthcare support? On average, PwDs visit the pharmacy three-to-eight times more than the general population to obtain medicines
and testing supplies.[2] It is clear that pharmacists play an integral role in empowering the self-management needs of PwDs beyond the traditional role of
supplying medicines. This relationship, however, may be underutilised.
Research suggests there is a lack of broad recognition of pharmacists as a key source of diabetes care, and that resource constraints - particularly following
the COVID-19 pandemic - can interfere with patient education provision and training.[3,4] Furthermore, the circumstances and role of the pharmacy vary, nationally
and internationally. At Roche Diabetes Care we would like to shine a light on the increasing value of community pharmacists as important figures in the well-being
of PwDs.
An ever-increasing emphasis is being placed on getting and staying fit and mobile, whatever your age, with good reason. Regular aerobic exercise (physical
activity which gets the heart beating faster) helps patients to:
Reduce or maintain body weight
Reduce the risk of heart disease, strokes and diabetes
Control blood sugar (helpful for diabetics)
Maintain mobility and muscle strength, allowing daily activities to be undertaken more easily
Improve mood, physical activity can be beneficial for everyone.
However, injuries sometimes happen during exercise or everyday life. Collectively, injuries to tendons, ligaments and/or skeletal muscle, are referred to as
musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries. Post pandemic pharmacists are now the first port of call for many seeking to self-treat so it is important that information,
advice and a wide range of treatment options are available.
While the precise incidence and prevalence of such disorders are difficult to define, they are known to be the most common rheumatic causes of sickness absences
from work. Indeed, soft tissue complaints account for up to 59 per cent of new patient referrals to rheumatology practice and up to 15 per cent of consultations in
primary care.
Ankle injuries are very common with an estimated incidence of one per 100,000 population per day. They account for about one in five of all sports related injuries.
The majority of ankle injuries are moderate ligament sprains. With appropriate treatment the majority of patients should be able to return to normal activities
within a few weeks.